Personal intercommunication purchase and fulfillment system

ABSTRACT

An electronic system for purchasing an item has at least one home station and at least one remote device (56). More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method or means for purchasing the item by entering a code into the remote device (56). The remote device (56) of the present invention is in the form of a pager 10 and/or a radio.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.08/696,373, filed Aug. 13, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,156 claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/016,143, filed Apr. 24,1996.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to an electronic system forpurchasing an item where the system has at least one home station and atleast one remote device. More particularly, the present invention isdirected to a method of purchasing an item by entering an item code intothe remote device and transmitting the item code to the home station.The remote device of the present invention is in the form of a pagerand/or a radio.

BACKGROUND OF PRIOR ART

Consumers, on average, make purchases at three retail stores per weekand have little time for shopping elsewhere. The various retail storesat which consumers make purchases include outlet stores, shoppingcenters, hardware stores, grocery stores, drug stores, clothing storesand shoe stores. Consumers often identify items they wish to purchasewhile going about their daily routines rather than when they areshopping. Thus, when a consumer encounters items which he wishes topurchase, it is often inconvenient and/or impossible to search for, muchless purchase, these items. Without the ability to purchase these itemsat the time the consumer is motivated to make the purchase, thesepurchases are unlikely. Therefore, it would be advantageous formerchants and advertisers to make a sale at the exact time their productis shown or advertised to the consumer. Consumers, on the other hand,desire to make purchases with minimal effort, time and dollars.

In addition to the disadvantages listed above, Nielsen, consumer groups,advertisers and marketers require a faster and more precise method ofobtaining accurate measurements to quantify and qualify purchases andbuyer demographics; retailers desire immediate transactions and orderfulfillment to reduce inventory and hasten consumer purchasing (checkout) processes; and buyers desire having immediate access to informationconcerning their financial accounts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a distribution and fulfillmentsystem facilitating consumer search and procurement mechanisms on anaggregated scale.

The present invention, referred to as a Personal IntercommunicationPurchase and Fulfillment System (PIPFS), is comprised of severalcomponents and logic systems. Fundamental and unique to the system isthe buyer's ability to effortlessly execute a transaction based on hisor her needs and impulse buying patterns.

The present invention is also used to collect and store informationregarding products to be purchased and the purchasing preferences ofvarious buyers. This information is used to support buyers' preferenceportfolios, to track previous purchases, to browse selections, and tooffer suggestions to the consumer regarding similar types of products.The system is buyer determined. Thus, information regarding a buyer'spurchasing patterns or habits is stored in the system and is availablefor future use to suggest other products to the buyers based on theirpurchasing patterns, i.e., to create joint purchase complementaries.

Joint purchase complementaries provide buyers with the ability topurchase products from a single source. The present system can performcomplementary searches to suggest related products to the consumer basedon a buyer's previous purchases. Complementary searches afford buyersgreater flexibility and depth of knowledge when purchasing relatedproducts. When combined with the economies of scale in large networks,buyers have access to remote selections not normally available. Thisincreases the number of purchases made by customers, as well asincremental revenue gains.

Consumer switching tendencies or costs are often based on geographic andconvenience considerations that are difficult for retailers to control.The present PIPFS leapfrogs this boundary by making it possible forconsumers to make purchases quickly at anytime and anywhere. Thus,consumers need not seek alternative sources because the PIPFS is costdriven, friendly, fin, and immediately accessible.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an electronicsystem having at least one home station and at least one remote deviceis used for purchasing an item. Initially, an item code representing theitem to be purchased is entered into and displayed at the remote deviceand is transmitted from the remote device to the home station. Uponreceipt of the item code, the home station transmits a home confirmationsignal acknowledging the receipt of the signal from the home station tothe remote device. An alarm means acknowledges the receipt of the homeconfirmation signal at the remote device. The home confirmation signalis displayed at the remote device, and a remote confirmation signal istransmitted from the remote device to the home station.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an electronicsystem having at least one home station and at least one remote deviceis used for purchasing either an item containing recorded music playingon a radio signal at a specific frequency or an item advertised on theradio signal at the frequency. The radio signal is received within theremote device and transmitted to a speaker. The frequency of the radiosignal is entered into the remote device and transmitted to the homestation. Once the frequency is received at the home station, the itemcontaining either the recorded music playing on the radio signal or theitem advertised on the radio signal is located and ordered for theconsumer.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the present invention may be more fully understood, itwill now be described by way of example, with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an overall diagram of an electronic system for purchasing anitem in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of one embodiment of a remote devicemade in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of the remote device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of a second embodiment of a remotedevice;

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of the remote device of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of a third embodiment of a remotedevice;

FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing of the remote device of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of a fourth embodiment of a remotedevice;

FIG. 9 is a schematic drawing of the remote device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of a fifth embodiment of a remotedevice;

FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing of the remote device of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a front elevation view of a sixth embodiment of a remotedevice; and,

FIG. 13 is a front elevation view of a seventh embodiment of a remotedevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understandingthat the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification ofthe principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broadaspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. device; and,

FIG. 1 represents an overall view of the electronic system forpurchasing an item, known, and hereinafter referred to, as the PersonalIntercommunication Purchase and Fulfillment System (PIPFS). Variousscenarios using a remote device to enter a purchase order into the PIPFSare also shown in FIG. 1. In the first scenario, a consumer 20 istraveling in an automobile 22 and hears a song or a radio advertisementof a product he would like to purchase. The consumer 20 enters theadvertiser's code or the radio station's call letters into a remotedevice 24.

In another scenario, a consumer 26 sees merchandise on the street or inpossession of another person 28 (most likely a friend or acquaintance).The consumer 26 scans the product's bar-code identification into theremote device 30 and transmits this information over the network in thePIPFS. The merchandise could also be scanned from an ad on a T.V. orfrom printed media.

In a third scenario, a consumer 32 is evaluating a product 34 at aretail outlet display/showroom. If the consumer 32 wishes to purchasethe product, she can scan its bar-code with her remote device 36, andthe information is transmitted to the PIPFS.

Once the information is transmitted by the remote device 24, 30, 36 itis channeled across the public network to the home station or PersonalCommunication Services Network Control Center (PCS NCC) 38. The PCS NCC38 receives the required information and directs it to the request dataservers 40. The request data servers 40 cross reference their databasesfor up-to-date product and pricing information, store the requestedinformation in their databases, and reply back to the PCS NCC 38 withvalid product information and a request for order delivery and purchaseconfirmation.

The PCS NCC 38 relays the information concerning product availability,consumer search requests, complementaries, etc. to the satellite 42,which then relays the data to the consumer's remote device 24,30,36. Theconsumer confirms the order with his or her remote device 24, 30, 36,and a remote confirmation signal is fed back to the request data servers40 and transferred to fulfillment data servers 44.

The fulfillment servers 44 relay all necessary financial transactioninformation to the appropriate banks and/or credit card companies 46that complete the remaining credit and debit transactions for thecompany and its affiliates. As a result, consumers can use one of threetypes of payment systems: (1) a charge to a consumer's credit card (thecredit card numbers being on file with the system); (2) electronicchecks or "wallets" from an account with a bank; or, (3) an electroniccommerce (e-cash) system (transmitted and cleared at the time of thetransaction).

E-cash is the evolutionary progression of money in the form of physical"atoms" to electronic bits. E-cash systems are token based systems wherea consumer stores tokens on a memory device, such as a standard creditcard size format established by the Personal Computer Memory CardInterface Association (PCMCIA). E-cash is withdrawn from a bank over thenetwork in a way similar to withdrawing physical cash from an ATM. Inorder to spend e-cash, tokens are exchanged for the products to bepurchased.

The fulfillment servers 44 send order and delivery information to thewarehouses 48. The fulfillment servers 44 and/or warehouses 48 sendinventory information back to the factories 50 for input into productionschedules. Factories 50 ship their merchandise to the warehouses 48, andthe purchased products 52 are delivered to the consumer's home 54.

Consumers can query their account information and order status throughthe PCS NCC 38, the request data servers 40, or the fulfillment dataservers 44.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of one embodiment of a remote device 56of the electronic system for purchasing an item. The remote device 56 isin the form of a two-way narrowband personal communication services(PCS) pager with a bar-code scanner. The components of the remote deviceor pager 56 are encased in a shock resistant durable ceramic or plasticshell 58. Messages, menus, commands, files, and configuration settingsare viewed in the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) 60 of the remote device56. Bar-code information is scanned using a fully integrated reflectivesensing module 62 containing a light emitting diode (LED) emitter andphoto diode which generates a current as its output signal. A four-wayswitch 64 is used for controlling cursor movement in the LCD 60. Leftand right programmable select buttons 66 are used to control the remotedevice 56. One button 66a is for the menu, file, message, command, andalphanumeric input selections while the other button 66b functions as anescape mechanism. so the buttons 66 can be programmed to perform eitherfunction. This is an ergonomic design to support left- or right-handpreference people. An RS232 connection 68 is supplied to support datatransfer and back-up storage options.

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of the remote device of FIG. 2, andrepresents the internal electrical function diagram flow of the remotedevice 56. The receiver/transmitter encoder/decoder assembly 70 includesan antenna 72. The assembly 70 defaults to the receiver position andswitches to the transmitter when requested from the microcontroller 74.The receiver operates in the 930-931 MHz and 940-941 MHz frequency bandswith channel spacing at 25 kHz. The transmitter operates in the 901-902frequency bands with channel spacing at 12.5 kHz. This spectrum wasrecently allocated by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC).

Preferably, the receiver's bit rate is 6400 bps and signaling is 4 levelfrequency shift key (FSK) at 6400 bps. At this bit rate, the receiver'spaging sensitivity is 14 micro-V/m, frequency deviation is +/-2400 Hzbinary, +/-800 Hz and +/-2400 Hz for 4 level; image rejection is 35 dBand spurious rejection 40 dB; selectivity is 60 dB at +/-50 Khz;frequency stability is 1 parts per minute (PPM) from -10 to +50 degreesCelsius and performs 1 MHz blocking at 80 dB. The transmitter's bit rateis 9600 bps and signaling is 4 level FSK at 9600 bps; frequencydeviation is +/-800 Hz and +/-2400 Hz for 4 level. The emissions meetNarrowband PCS FCC specifications. Power into the antenna 72 is 1W andfrequency stabilization 1 PPM.

The transmitter/receiver unit 70 interfaces with the bus module in theSerial I/O portion 76 of the microcontroller 74. The module is atwo-wire, bidirectional serial bus which provides a simple and efficientmeans of data exchange between devices; it is compatible with theinter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus standard. The maximum data rate of100 Kbit/s can be reached at system clock speeds of 3.0 MHZ and above.The serial bit clock frequency of the bus is programmable and rangesfrom 3830 Hz to 757 Khz for a 16.67 MHz internal operating frequency.The system is a true multi-master bus including collision detection andarbitration to prevent data corruption (when two or more masters attemptto control the bus simultaneously). The bus interface uses serial databus (SDA) and serial clock bus (SCL) signals for data transfer. Alldevices connected to the bus interface must have open drain or opencollection output; and a logic AND function is implemented in both lineswith pull-up resistors. The bus is software programmable for one of 32different serial clock frequencies. The bus has a software selectableacknowledge bit; interrupt driven byte-for-byte data transfer;arbitration-lost driven interrupt with automatic mode switching frommaster to slave; calling address identification interrupt; repeatedSTART signal generation; the ability to generate/recognize theacknowledge bit; and, bus busy detection.

The Serial I/O 76 includes a serial peripheral interface (SPI) modulefor full-duplex, synchronous, serial communication with peripheraldevices. The SPI supports master and slave modes; separate transmit andreceive registers; four selectable master mode frequencies where themaximum is equal to the frequency divided by 2; a separate ground clockfor reduced RF interference; a serial clock with programmable polarityand phase; an end of transmission interrupt flag; a bus contention errorflag; an overrun error flag; a programmable wired-OR mode; and, atransmit data register empty flag.

The microcontroller 74 uses a dual timer and a real time clock (RTC)that enables the system to control events by using a clock source totrack and report time passage. The RTC contains a counter formaintaining a one second count derived from an external 32.768 Khzcrystal source. Timing function software may write to or read thiscounter and use it to maintain a time stamp or time of day and calendarinformation. The counter maintains a unique count over a period ofapproximately 68 years. A software programmable alarm register may alsobe used to interrupt or wake-up the processor when the RTC counterreaches the alarm count. The RTC is implemented with logic circuits thatconsume very low power during switching and can be disabled by softwarewhen not required for use, thereby reducing power consumption.

The dual timer consists of two independent, identical, general purposetimers. Each general purpose timer block contains a free running 16-bittimer which can be used in various modes: to capture the timer valuewith an external event; to trigger an external event; to trigger anexternal event or interrupt when the timer reaches a set value; or, tocount external events. Each timer has an eight-bit prescalar to allowprogrammable clock input frequency derived from the system clock(divided a 1 or 16) or external count input. The output pins (one pertimer) have a variety of programmable modes and the output signal can bean active low pulse or a toggle of the current output. The dual timersinclude a maximum period of 16 seconds (at 16.67 MHZ); 60-ns resolution(at 16.67 MHz); programmable sources for the clock input, including anexternal clock; input capture capability with programmable trigger edgeon input pins; two timers externally cascaded to form a 32-bit timer;and, free run and restart modes.

The controller 74 also supports on-chip memory to provide storage forcritical instruction sequences, exception routines, stack space, andgeneral data storage. The chip supports 128 Kb of configurable staticrandom access memory (RAM) 78 and 264 Kb of configurable read onlymemory (ROM) 80. The register file supports 128 words in one-wordincrements and 128 bits in one-bit increments, simultaneous read andwrite, latched data outputs, separate read/write for each word and highspeed.

The interrupt controller module provides interrupt requests andinterrupt acknowledge signals. Each of these signals is generated byencoding or decoding the required processor signals. The interruptcontroller supports interrupts from three sources: (1) an external,non-maskable interrupt, which always causes an interrupt priority level7 request to the microprocessor core; (2) an external interrupt receivedthrough the 8-bit channel latched interrupt port (each channel can beprogrammed with an interrupt priority level, and each can have pendinginterrupts cleared independently from the others); and, (3) on-chipperipherals. The interrupt controller allows assignment of the interruptpriority level of each on-chip module and determination of a particularvector number to be presented when the module receives an interruptacknowledge from the processor via the interrupt controller logic.

The core or central processing unit (CPU) 82 is the heart of theintegrated circuit (IC). This unit 82 supervises system functions, makesdecisions, manipulates data, and directs I/O functions. Themicrocontroller 74 of this application specific integrated circuit(ASIC) is a Motorola 020 core. The 020 core is a static implementationof the 68020 32-bit microprocessor. The core supports dynamic bus sizingfrom 8- to 16- to 32-bit data buses. It has a 256 byte on-chipinstruction cache that speeds program execution. The 020 core alsoincludes signals that permit easier interfacing between the coreprocessor and the surrounding logic, as well as emulation support.Application specific logic is implemented using Motorola's HPF06 of CMOSstandard cells.

An RS232 port 68 interfaces with the ASIC's I/O module 76 and isprovided for data transfers and backup storage purposes. An electronicerasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) 84 is provided to holdcritical user files and configuration data when batteries are removedfor extended periods of time. A capacitor can also be used to holdcritical user files and configuration data for shorter periods of time.

Also connected to the ASIC's I/O module 76 are several user interfacedevices. A vibrator 86 supports message notification for other enabledindividuals as well as users desiring silent notification. A piezoelectric beeper 88 is included for audible notification. An LCD 60 isincorporated to display text and other symbolic functions wheninteracting with the device and system. A four-way switch 64 is providedfor controlling cursor movement in the LCD 60, and left and rightprogrammable select buttons 66 are provided to control the remote device56, as discussed above.

A fully integrated reflective sensing module 62 connects to the ASIC'sI/O module 76. The sensor 62 contains a 655 nm LED emitter and photodiode and generates a current as its output signal. A bifurcatedaspheric lens is used to image the active areas of the emitter anddetector to a single 4.27 mm (0.168 in.) spot. The detector is a PNphoto diode. The LED cathode is physically and electrically connected tothe case substrate or shell 58 of the remote device or sensor 56. Theresolution of the sensor 56 is 0.19 mm (0.007 in.) at 655 nm red light.Infrared light provides greater resolution, but is not used forergonomic reasons, i.e., people prefer to visually verify the bar-codescan. The sensor 56 is contained in an 8 pin TO-5 metal can with a glasswindow. The LED and photo diode are mounted on a header at the base ofthe package. Positioned above these active elements is a bifurcatedaspheric lens that focuses them to the same point. The sensor 56 can berigidly secured by commercially available TO-5 style heat sink or an 8pin 0.200 inch diameter pin circle socket. This provides a stablereference platform for affixing the sensor 56 to a circuit board. Aprotective sapphire ball focusing tip could also be incorporated intothe unit. The sensor 56 is characterized for use with the digitizerlogic of the ASIC.

A second embodiment of the remote device 56' of the electronic systemfor purchasing an item is shown in FIG. 4. The remote device 56' is inthe form of an FM/AM two-way narrowband PCS pager with bar-code scanner.Remote device 56' includes stereo headphones 90' plugged into the stereomini-jack 92' of the remote device or unit 56'. In all other respects,the remote devices 56 and 56' are the same; thus, the same numericaldesignations are used for corresponding parts.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of the remote device 56' of FIG. 4representing the internal electrical function diagram flow of the remotedevice 56'. A second receiver and decoder assembly 96', including asecond antenna 98', is incorporated for FM and/or AM radio reception.This unit 56' is a complete FM and/or AM radio on an IC chip such asthose manufactured by Philips Semiconductors and NEC. These units 56'include the entire radio with an on-chip aerial input (antenna 98') andaudio output. Operating over an extended range from 80 to 130 MHz, theyoffer several improvements over conventional FM radio systems besides asmaller size, less costs, lower voltages and cleaner signals. Trackingand distortion problems are eliminated because, in some chips, only alocal oscillator needs to be tuned. Other units include a phased lockedloop (PLL) frequency synthesizer in which the phase difference betweenan externally input frequency and reference frequency is detected and aloop (closed circuit) is configured to negate the phase difference tostabilize the frequency of the output signal. Many units offer reducedelectromagnetic interference (EMI) noise that can affect externalcircuits. Some units include on-chip analog to digital converters (ADC)100' and digital to analog converters (DAC) 102', however, at a low8-bit and 9-bit resolution. Some of the chips include large capacity RAM78' to meet applications for radio data systems (RDS). RDS is a systemin which digital signals are added to the FM radio wave to transmitprogram and other information data to users. This data can be sent tothe microcontroller 74' for PCS applications and the PIPFS.

Various configurations of the remote unit 56' are possible. For example,the pager 56' can be configured with an FM stereo chip (not shown) or anFM/AM chip 104'. It may or may not include ADC's 100' and DAC's 102';hence, the audio output signal may be connected directly to theamplifiers 106' and stereo mini phono jack 92', or the audio outputsignal may be connected to the I/O 76' of the microcontroller 74'. Inthe latter, the CPU 82 is either a digital signal processor (DSP) or areduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, and the on-chip ADC100' and DAC 102' are of 8- or 16-bit resolution. The FM/AM stereo chip104' can be included in the ASIC design, thus reducing the number ofcomponents and the manufacturing costs.

The transmitter/receiver unit 70' and FM radio chip/receiver unit 96'interface with the bus module in the Serial I/O portion 76' of themicrocontroller 74'. Depending on the configuration of the FM/AM stereochip 104', a different I/O interface 76' may be required on themicrocontroller 74'. If the chip 104' is not built into themicrocontroller 74' and its audio output bypasses the controller 74',then no change is required. If the chip 104' is built into the ASIC(with DSP) design, or sends its audio output to the DSP microcontroller74', then a new interface is required. The system would then use a dualuniversal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (DUART) (not shown). TheDUART module is a configurable module that contains internal controllogic, timing and baud rate generator logic, interrupt control logic,and supports up to 8 serial communication channels. The serial port cansustain data rates of 14.7 Mb/s. The DUART supports full duplexasynchronous/synchronous receiver/transmitter channels; a maximum datatransfer of 1x clock (14.7 Mb/s), 16x clock (922 Kb/s); configurableFIFO depth up to 16 on receiver and transmitter; a programmable baudrate for serial channel; programmable data format; a programmablechannel mode for diagnostics; automatic wake-up modes for multi-dropapplications; single output, interrupt output and vector interruptoutput; parity, framing, and overrun error detection; false start bitdetection; line break detection and generation; detection of breaksgenerated in the middle of a character; and, interrupt or poll onstart/stop break. The DUART can also support digital audio broadcasts(DAB) once a specification is approved by the FCC.

As noted earlier, depending on the FM/AM stereo chip configuration, theCPU 82' will either be the Motorola 020 core, 030 core, DSP, or PowerPCcore. A low-cost RISC processor with DSP functions can also be used. Anew ASIC with the DSP can be incorporated and produced in anticipationof FCC approval of an in-band on-line channel (IBOC) or an in-bandadjacent channel (IBAC) DAB specification. In such a situation, thelowcost RISC processor with DSP functions should be a 32-bit processorcore which operates from 0 to 60 MHz. The RISC processor should alsosupport load scheduling, million instructions per second (MIPS) RISC IIInstruction Set Architecture (ISA), a pipelined 32-bit multiplier withtwo cycle latency, and pipelined multiply add and subtract functions.The RISC processor should extract 32-bits from 64-bit multiply results;be capable of single cycle conversion between integers of various sizes(saturate); have a 1 Kb direct mapped instruction cache; have a 4 Kbdirect mapped data cache; have a reset handler with internal power onreset generation; have external asynchronous reset input; have core selfand system reset; and, have synchronous system reset output.

A third embodiment of the remote device 56" of the electronic system forpurchasing an item is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Remote device 56" includesa PCMCIA slot 94" connecting to the ASIC's I/O module 76" to downloadmusic (compressed digital audio or DAB data) from the radio signal tostore onto the RAM 78" for consumer evaluation or purchase of audiotracks. The PCMCIA slot 94 may also be used to connect a sound card,memory devices, modems, etc. onto the remote device 56" or to facilitatetransmission of electronic currency or the use of electronic debit andcredit cards. If a PCMCIA interface connects to the ASIC's I/O modulefor download of compressed digital audio, then the CPU 82 must be eithera RISC or a DSP.

A fourth embodiment of the remote device 56"' of the electronic systemfor purchasing an item is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The remote device 56"'is in the form of a DAB/FM radio two-way narrowband PCS pager withbar-code scanner. The remote device 56"' can be configured with only anFM stereo chip (not shown) or an FM/AM chip 104"'. The audio output issent to the ADC's 100"' on the microcontroller 74. A RISC/DSP is used,along with on-chip ADC's 100"' and DAC's 102"' of 16-bit resolution. TheFM/AM stereo chip 104"' can be included in the ASIC design, thusreducing components and manufacturing costs. Finally, the remote device56" can be manufactured with or without the bar-code scanner assemblyand logic 62"'. In either case, the DAC's 102' are included on-chip andoutput to the stereo mini jack assembly 108'

The microcontroller 74"' of this ASIC can be a Motorola DSP or PowerPCcore. A low-cost RISC processor with DSP functions can also be used.

A fifth embodiment of the remote device 56"" of the electronic systemfor purchasing an item, shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, has all of the samecomponents as the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9; however, thefifth embodiment includes a PCMCIA interface 94"" connected to theASIC's I/O module to download compressed digital audio or DAB data forconsumer evaluation or purchase of audio tracks.

FIG. 12 is a front elevation view of a sixth embodiment of a remotedevice of the electronic system for purchasing an item. The remotedevice includes a conventional two-way pager 108 and an adjunct bar-codescanner 110. The pager 108 components are encased in a shock resistantdurable ceramic or plastic shell 112. Messages, menus, commands, files,and configuration settings are viewed in the LCD 114 of the pager 108. Afour-way switch 116 is used for controlling cursor movement in the LCD114. Left and right programmable select buttons--118 are used to controlthe pager 108. As in the remote devices described above, one button 118acontrols menu, file, message, command and alphanumeric input selectionswhile the other button 118b functions as an escape mechanism. Bothbuttons can be programmed to perform either function.

The adjunct bar-code scanner 110 includes an adjunct reflective sensingmodule 120 which, similar to the remote devices described above,connects to an ASIC's I/O module. The adjunct bar-code scanner 110consists of a decoder chip 122 and an 8-bit microprocessor 124. Inanother embodiment of the adjunct bar-code scanner 110', the decoderchip 122 and the 8-bit microprocessor 124 are combined into one ASIC126. Bar-code information is scanned using an adjunct reflective sensingmodule 120 similar to the one described above. An RS232 connection issupplied to support data transfer and back-up storage option. A femaleRS232 connection 128 is supplied which mates with the male RS232connection 130 on the pager 108 to support data transfer from theadjunct device.

FIG. 13 is a front elevation view of a seventh embodiment of a remotedevice of the electronic system for purchasing an item. The remotedevice includes a conventional two-way pager 108' and an adjunctbar-code scanner 110'. The adjunct device 110' is a standalone (flatsurface) unit which connects by a RS232 cable 132 to a variety of remotedevices or pagers 108'--. In all other respects, the adjunct devices 110and 110' are the same.

While specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerousmodifications come to mind without significantly departing from thespirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited bythe scope of the accompanying claims.

I claim:
 1. A remote device for an electronic system for purchasing atangible item from at least one home station comprising:a two-way pagerhaving first receiving means for receiving a message, first transmittingmeans for transmitting a response to the message, alarm means foracknowledging the receipt of the message and means for displaying themessage; and, means for entering an item code into the remote devicerepresenting the tangible item, said entering means comprising;a lightemitting diode emitter; a detector physically and electronicallyconnected to the emitter; and, a bifurcated aspheric lens to focus theemitter and the detector to a single spot.
 2. The remote device of claim1 further comprising a microcontroller within the remote device tocontrol the remote device, wherein the microcontroller comprises:acentral processing unit; random access memory; and, read only memory. 3.The remote device of claim 2 further comprising a PCMCIA slot with aninterface connected to the microcontroller.